Apparatus for handling molten slag



J. w. FORSYTHE ET AL 2,139,949

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING MOLTEN SLAG Dec. 13, 1938.

Filed Dec.

4 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 13, 1938. J. w. FORSYTHE ET Al 2,139,949.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING MOLTEN SLAG Filed Dec. '5, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 2Dec. 13, 1938. J. w. FORSYTHE ET AL APPARATUS FOR HANDLING MOLTEN SLAGFiled Dec. 5, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 lyweniars: JOHN W. FOESYTHE andZVV/LL/QM TEWfl/ET fi/f/Wd/Wqgs.

Dec. 13, 1938. J. w FORSYTHE ET AL APPARATUS FOR HANDLING MOLTEN SLAG 4Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dc 5 M T m we 6 M w E 5.. [Z W Z. fi

Patented Dec. 13, 1938 UNHTEE STATES PATENT @FFEQE APPARATUS FORHAND'LHNG MOLTTEN SLAG John W. Forsythe, Wilkinsburg,

and William 5 Claims.

This invention relates to an apparatus for flowing molten blast furnaceslag directly from a blast furnace to a granulation or other processingapparatus, and has for one of its objects the 5 provision of a novelcontrol of the slag as it is flowing to the processing machine, wherebya substantially uniform and continuous flow of slag is delivered to theprocessing machine.

Another object is to provide means for remov- 10 ing entrained iron fromthe molten slag during its travel to the processing machine.

Another object is to provide a method and apparatus for eliminatingstickers in slag ladles.

The above and further objects will become ap- 15 parent from thefollowing description and by reference to the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a plan of the preferred embodiment of my invention;

20 Figure 2 is an enlarged plan of a portion of the apparatus shown inFigure 1;

Figure 3 is a section taken on line III-III of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged plan of a portion of the g5 apparatus shown inFigure 1;

Figure 5 is a section taken on the line VV of Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is a section taken on the line VI-VI of Figure 1.

30 Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawings, the numeral2 indicates a slag runher which is connected to the cinder notch of ablast-furnace. The slag runner 2 empties into a main settling basin 4which allows the major portion of the entrained iron to settle and whichis provided with a plurality of outlets, a stationary fluid-cooleddam-plate 6 being secured to one of the outlets thereof. The dam-plate 6is held tightly against the main settling basin 4 and is 40 providedwith an orifice 8. The size of the orifice 8 may be varied to permit anydesired maximum rate of flow to the processing machine. The orifice 8.and the dam-plate 6 are so positioned that the orifice 8 is locatedsufiiciently above 45 the bottom surface of the main settling basin 4 toassure retention of the settled iron therein. The orifice 8 is adaptedto be closed by any suitable means, such as a stopper In, whichpreferably is pivotally secured between arms l2 that 50 are secured tothe top of the dam-plate 6. The motion of the stopper I is controlled bya lever l4 which can be moved by any external force to readily andtightly seal the orifice 8 when desired.

The orifice 8 is provided to readily regulate the 55 rate of flow oflight hot slag which is contained in the main settling basin 6 to anauxiliary basin l6 that is placed against the back of the damplate 6.The auxiliary basin i6 is adapted to maintain the slag therein at alevel which is below the orifice 8. The auxiliary basin I6 has an innerdownwardly sloping bottom surface l8 which is terminated by a flowretarding member 20 that preferably is integral with said bottomsurface. Any molten metal remaining in the slag from the main settlingbasin i settles and ac- 10 cumulates in the auxiliary basin 86. Afterthe volume of slag required to fill the auxiliary basin l5 hasaccumulated therein, the uniform slag flow, continuing through theorifice 8, causes a similar flow of slag over the member 20. This flowof slag is received in a runner 24 which conducts the slag to agranulating or other processing machine (not shown). The flow of theslag into and, consequently, out of the auxiliary basin i6 is regulatedby varying the position of the stopper I0 in relation to the orifice 8so that the flow of slag to the processing machine is directlycontrolled.

As the flow retarding member 20 is preferably cooled, means, such aspipes 22 through which cooling fluid can be circulated, are castintegral 25 with the member 20 and can prevent this member from beingexcessively burnt by contacting hot slag. The runner 24 is alsopreferably fluidcoolecl. Any molten iron that settles from the slag andaccumulates in the auxiliary basin I6 can be withdrawn therefrom byremoving the plugging material which, for ordinary use, is present in anaperture 25 in the auxiliary basin l6. When the aperture 25 is opened,any liquid in the auxiliary basin it flows to a catch basin 2! connectedthereto.

The accumulation and removal of the entrained iron from the slag notonly means that a considerable amount of iron (which may average aboutone ton per day) is thereby saved but also means 0 that the slag, beingsubstantially iron-free, does not stick to the slag ladles. Heretofore,iron contained in the slag settled out in the slag ladles and frequentlycaused What are termed stickers. The removal of these stickers involvedconsiderable amounts of time and labor necessary to knock out or chipthese stickers from the ladles. Moreover, even with careful workmanship,ladles were damaged and in many instances early destruction of theladles resulted due to the formation of these stickers.

In order to provide means for completely draining the auxiliary basinIS, a by-pass slag runner 28 is butted against the side of the auxiliarybasin l6 immediately below an aperture 28 there- I through. The aperture28 is located at the lowest portion of the bottom surface l8 and isordinarily closed with fire clay, or other suitable material, as it isdesired to force the slag to accumulate and settle in the auxiliarybasin l6 before passing to the granulating machine.

The iron flows from the blast furnace through a main iron runner 30. Thelatter portion of the cast flowing from the blast furnace contains ahigh percentage of slag and, in some instances, it is desirable to usethe slag carried by the iron. Means, s ich as an auxiliary slag runner32, con.- nect t? the main iron runner 38 so that the last portion ofthe cast can be diverted therefrom, if desired. The connection betweenthe main iron runner 30 and the auxiliary slag runner 32 is ordinarilyclosed by means of fire clay or the like. When the auxiliary slagrunnner 32 is to be used, the connection between it and the main ironrunner 38 is opened and suitable means, such as a fire clay dam, areused to obstruct the main iron runner 38 and divert the slag and ironmixture into the auxiliary slag runner 32.

The slag runner 32 has a downwardly sloping bottom surface 34 and a flowretarding member 36 adjacent the lowest portion of the bottom surface 34so that the fiow of slag through the slag runner 32 is retarded. Theslag runner 32 carries any slag flowing by the member 36 to the mainsettling basin 4. Any molten iron which settles from the slag at themember 36 can be withdrawn when desired to a catch basin 38 which isconnected to the slag runner 32 at its lowest portion and which isordinarily closed With fire clay.

There is provided at the end of the main settling basin a movabledam-plate 42 which controls the volume of slag required to form a poolin the main settling basin 4. The dam-plate 42 has upwardly extendingarms 46 to which is attached means for vertically moving the same. Thetop edge of this dam-plate between the arms 46 is lower than the top rimof the main settling basin, so as to provide an overflow in case toolarge a volume of slag collects in the main settling basin; preferably,it is also slightly lower than the top of the dam 36 so as to prevent aback fiow into the iron runner 30 when slag is taken therefrom.

Prior to casting of the furnace, the dam-plate 42 is preferably sealedat the joints with fire clay and at the end of the cast or wherever theslag fiow to the main settling basin 4 is excessive and of such volumethat the apparatus is not adapted to handle it, or the process machineis not operating, the dam-plate 42 is raised and the excessive slag andiron permitted to run thereunder into the slag ladle runner 48. Thisdam-plate 42 is preferably fluid-cooled and is provided with an aperture44 therethrough near the bottom thereof. This aperture is ordinarilysealed by fire clay or other suitable material and is removed to openthe aperture only at the finish of a fiush or cast so as to permit theiron that may have settled in the bottom of the basin to run out. Acatchbasin 50 is preferably connected to the ladle runner 48 adjacentthe dam-plate 42. The catchbasin 50 is adapted to be connected to theladle runner 48 by means of an aperture 52, normally closed by anysuitable plugging material.

When it is desired to withdraw accumulated molten iron from the mainsettling basin 4, a dam is built in the ladle runner 48 behind theaperture 52 and then the plugging material in the aperture 44 isremoved. This permits any iron accumulated in the main settling basin 4to flow through the aperture 44 and the dam in the ladle runner 48forces the molten iron to fiow into the catch-basin 50, from which itcan be removed as desired.

In order to provide additional means for completely draining the mainsettling basin 4, a bypass slag runner 54 butts against the mainsettling basin 4 and is connected to the ladle runner 48. An aperture56, normally having plugging material therein, extends through the mainsettling basin 4 immediately above the place at which the by-pass slagrunner 54 butts so that by removing the plugging material from theaperture 56 all of the heavy molten material present in the mainsettling basin 4 flows out through the aperture 56.

By arranging the apparatus which controls the flow of slag to theprocessing machine, in the above described manner, a regulated, steadyflow of slag thereto is obtained. The main settling basin 4 is adaptedto force the slag to settle and accumulate so that only a portionthereof fiows to the auxiliary basin l6. In the auxiliary basin l6, theslag again tends to accumulate and a further portion of the molten ironpresent therein settles out and a volume of the slag overflows themember 20 and reaches the processing machine.

It will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the specificform illustrated and described but is actually defined by the appendedclaims.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for controlling the flow of hot slag from a blast-furnace,said apparatus comprising a main settling basin, a slag runner extendingbetween said blast-furnace and said main settling basin, a stationarydamplate having an orifice therein secured across an outlet of said mainsettling basin, a stopper adapted to close said orifice, an auxiliarybasin connected to the rear of said stationary dam-plate and providedwith an inner downwardly sloping bottom surface, a flow-retarding memberintegral with said bottom surface, means adapted to receive the overflowfrom said member and conduct it to a processing machine, a verticallymovable dam secured across a second outlet of said main settling basin,a ladle runner connected to the rear of said movable dam and acatch-basin connected to said ladle runner and a second catch basinconnected to the lowest portion of said auxiliary basin;

'2. Apparatus for controlling the flow of hot slag from a blast-furnace,said apparatus comprising a main settling basin provided with aplurality of outlets, a slag runner extending between said blast-furnaceand said main settling basin, a stationary dam-plate having an orificetherein secured across an outlet of said main settling basin, a stopperpivotally secured to said dam-plate and adapted to close said orifice,an auxiliary settling basin connected to the rear of said stationarydam-plate and provided with an inner downwardly sloping bottom surface,a flowretarding member integral with said bottom surface, means adaptedto receive the overflow from said member and conduct it to a processingmachine, a by-pass runner butted against said auxiliary basin andconnected to said means, a vertically movable dam secured across asecond outlet of said main settling basin, a ladle runner connectedtothe rear of said movable dam and a catch-basin connected to said ladlerunner and a second catch basin connected to the lowest portion of saidauxiliary'basin.

3. Apparatus for controlling the flow of hot to and lower than said slagrunner and provided with a plurality of outlets, a stationaryfluidcooled dam-plate having an orificesecured to an outlet of said mainsettling basin, a stopper pivotally secured to said stationary dam-plateand adapted to close said orifice, an auxiliary settling basin having aninner downwardly sloping bottom surface connected to the rear of saiddam, a fluid-cooled flow-retarding member integral with said bottomsurface, a refractory lined catch-basin connected to said bottomsurface, means connecting the top of said member to said processingmachine, a by-pass runner secured to said means and butted against thelowest portion of said bottom surface, a vertically movable fluid-cooleddam having an orifice secured to an outlet of said main settling basin,a ladle runner connected to the rear of said movable dam, a catch-basinconnected to said ladle runner, and a by-pass runner butted against saidmain settling basin and extending to said ladle runner.

4. Apparatus for controlling'the flow of hot slag from a blast-furnacehaving an iron and a cinder notch to a processing machine, saidapparatus comprising a slag runner extending from said cinder notch, amain settling basin connected to and lower than said slag runner andprovided with a plurality of outlets, a stationary fluid-cooleddam-plate having an orifice therethrough positioned across an outlet ofsaid main settling basin, a stopper pivotally secured to said stationarydam-plate and adapted to close said orifice, an auxiliary settling basinhaving. an inner downwardly sloping bottom surface connected to the rearof said dam, a fluid-cooled flow-retarding member integral with saidbottom surface, a refractory lined catch-basin connected to said bottomsurface, means connecting the top of said member to said processingmachine, a by-pass runner secured to said means and butted against thelowest portion of said bottom surface, a main iron runner connected tosaid iron notch, a runner connected between said main iron runner andsaid main settling basin, a vertically movable fluid-cooled dam-platehaving an orifice near its bottom secured to an outlet of said mainsettling basin, a ladle runner con nected to the rear of said movabledam, a catch basin connected to said ladle runner, and a by= pass runnerbutted against said main settling basin and extending to said ladlerunner.

5. The combination with a blast furnace, of apparatus for separatingentrained iron from slag to prevent consequent adhesion between thesettled iron and the slag ladle, said apparatus including a mainsettling basin, a main slag runner extending between said blast furnaceand said main settling basin, an iron runner, an auxiliary slag runnerextending from said iron runner to said main settling basin, meansassociated with said auxiliary slag runner for withdrawing the settlediron from the slag as it passes theret-hrough to said main settlingbasin, means for withdrawing the settled iron from the slag in said mainsettling basin, and means for conducting the accumulated slag in saidmain settling basin to a processing machine.

